Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 8-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kessler (2024/0004825) in view of Harada (WO 2024/232062, translated copy attached).
Consider claims 1, 13, 16. Kessler teaches an audio reproduction system comprising: a serial bus configured to transmit audio data (audio signal, para 31) and control data (control frame, para 9, fig. 3) using serial data communication (serial daisy-chained bus), and to transmit low electric power (V+ and V- power, see the abstract); a zone computer (host 110 and main node 102-1, fig. 1, para 30) connected to the serial bus and configured to provide audio data and control data to the serial bus (para 31: clock signals, data signals and power signals; para 33: control frame); a low-power supply connected to the serial bus to supply the low electric power to the serial bus, the low electric power having a maximum value below a threshold (para 46: 5 volts, 8 volts DC bias; para 139: the used of Zener diodes for voltage and/or current regulator); a low-power active loudspeaker (para 35: peripheral device 108 can be speakers, audio amplifiers. Noted that the combination of speakers, amplifiers are considered as active loudspeakers) arrangement connected to the serial bus and configured to receive the audio data, control data, and the low electric power over the serial bus(fig.1, para 31, 46), the low-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprising a first bus interface, a first low-power loudspeaker and a low-power amplifier (para 35: peripheral device 108 can be speakers, audio amplifiers), the low-power amplifier being supplied with the low electric power and driving the first low-power loudspeaker (para 46, fig. 1).
Kessler does not clearly teach a high-power supply configured to supply high electric power, the high electric power having a maximum value above the threshold; a high-power active loudspeaker arrangement connected to the serial bus and the high-power supply, and configured to receive the audio data and the control data over the serial bus and to receive the high electric power from the high-power supply, the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprising a second bus interface, a first high-power loudspeaker and a high-power amplifier, the high-power amplifier being supplied with the high electric power separately from the serial bus and driving the first high-power loudspeaker.
Harada teaches a high-power supply (battery 90 which provides 12 volts, para 9) configured to supply high electric power, the high electric power having a maximum value above the threshold (para 40: 12v, 24-48V); a high-power active loudspeaker arrangement (80_4, 80_5, and 80_6. Noted that the combination of amplifiers and speakers are considered as active loudspeakers) connected to the serial bus (on board bus 70, para 23: serial communication) and the high-power supply (battery 90), and configured to receive the audio data (DA, para 54) and the control data (DS, para 54) over the serial bus (70) and to receive the high electric power from the high-power supply (through power bus 100, see fig. 1), the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprising a second bus interface (e.g., the interfaces that the speakers connect to high power amplifiers 4-6, fig. 1), a first high-power loudspeaker and a high-power amplifier, the high-power amplifier being supplied with the high electric power (power bus 100) separately from the serial bus (70) and driving the first high-power loudspeaker (80_4 through 80_6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Harada into the teachings of Kessler, so that to increase the freedom of amplifier and speaker installation locations while suppressing the increase in vehicle weight (para 4).
Consider claims 2, 14, 17. Kessler further teaches the serial bus is a two-wire data and power bus, in which data and power are transmitted over two wires of the serial bus (two conductors, see the abstract; para 7 and 14).
Consider claims 3, 18. Harada teaches the use of at least one of the low-power amplifier (class AB, para 50) and the high-power amplifier is a class-D amplifier (para 50).
Consider claims 4, 19. Kessler further teaches the low-power active loudspeaker arrangement and the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement further comprise at least one of a bus interface (para 149), a power conditioner (e.g., Zener diodes, para 132), and a multiplicity of first analog filters (para 22).
Consider claim 6. Harada further teaches at least one of the low-power amplifier and the high-power amplifier is included in an integrated circuit (IC290, para 69, 108, fig. 3).
Consider claim 8. Harada further teaches the zone computer comprises a digital signal processor and a line interface (para 48: DSP; para 69: signal connectors 210-220).
Consider claim 9. Kessler further teaches the zone computer further comprises at least one of an audio source (para 31: audio signals), a low-power regulator (Zener diodes; para 19), and a multiplicity of second analog filters (para 22, filtering either low pass or high pass).
Consider claim 10. Harada teaches the low-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprises a tweeter or mid-range loudspeaker (para 90: smaller speakers), and the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprises a mid-range loudspeaker, a woofer, or a sub-woofer (para 94, 98: subwoofer).
Consider claim 11. Harada also teaches at least one additional low-power active loudspeaker arrangement, wherein a sum of powers of the low-power active loudspeaker arrangement and the at least one additional low-power active loudspeaker arrangement is below the threshold (para 24: max 50W).
Consider claim 12. Harada further teaches at least one additional high-power active loudspeaker arrangement (80_4-80_6, fig. 1), the at least one additional high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprising a first high-power loudspeaker and a high-power amplifier (40_3-40_6, fig. 1), the high-power amplifier being supplied with the high electric power and driving the first high-power loudspeaker of the at least one additional high-power active loudspeaker arrangement (para 40: battery 90 provides power supply to 80_4-80_6, fig. 1, but not to 40_1 or 40_2, para 41).
Consider claim 15. Harada teaches reproducing the received audio data (DA) using at least one additional low-power loudspeaker (80_1, 80_2 or 80_3) and at least one additional low-power amplifier (40_1 or 40_2), the at least one additional low-power amplifier being supplied with the low electric power (para 24: max 50W) and driving the at least one additional low-power loudspeaker, wherein a sum of powers of the low-power amplifier and the at least one additional low-power amplifier is below the threshold (para 24: max 50W).
Claim(s) 5, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kessler (2024/0004825) in view of Harada (WO 2024/232062, translated copy attached) as applied to claims 1, 16 above, and further in view of Shen (CN202472487).
Consider claims 5, 20. Kessler in view of Harada does not teach the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprises a direct current DC-to-DC converter that converts an input supply voltage to a higher output supply voltage, the input supply voltage being provided by the high-power supply and the higher output supply voltage being supplied to the high-power amplifier.
Shen teaches the high-power active loudspeaker arrangement comprises a direct current DC-to-DC converter that converts an input supply voltage to a higher output supply voltage, the input supply voltage being provided by the high-power supply and the higher output supply voltage being supplied to the high-power amplifier (see the abstract and fig. 1; para 12; para 13-14: multiple output sources from 3.7V to 20V).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Shen into the teachings of Kessler in view of Harada in order to provide matching DC-DC power supply, simplifying the multimedia sound box, which saves power, and reducing the cost of the system (see para 9).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kessler (2024/0004825) in view of Harada (WO 2024/232062, translated copy attached) as applied to claims 1, 6 above, and further in view of Kraz et al (US 2023/0108250).
Consider claim 7. Kessler in view of Harada does not teach the first high-power loudspeaker comprises thermally conducting portions and the integrated circuit that includes the high-power amplifier is thermally coupled to the thermally conducting portions of the high-power loudspeaker.
Kraz teaches the first high-power loudspeaker comprises thermally conducting portions and the integrated circuit that includes the high-power amplifier is thermally coupled to the thermally conducting portions of the high-power loudspeaker (fig. 9 and para 160: In some implementations, the speaker assembly 904 includes a speaker and a heat sink. In some implementations, the heat sink is configured to dissipate heat generated at the speaker and one or more circuit boards within the camera 118. In some implementations, the speaker assembly 904 acts as a heat sink for the camera’s system-on-a-chip (SoC). In some implementations, the SoC is thermally coupled to the speaker assembly 904).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Kraz into the teachings of Kessler in view of Harada in order to dissipate heat generated at the speaker and one or more circuit boards and/or SoC in order to prevent the components from thermally breaking down.
Conclusion
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DUC NGUYEN
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2691
/DUC NGUYEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2691
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